When Icelandic composer Snorri Hallgrímsson originally recorded his Landbrot album in two parts a little over five years ago, he was creatively inhabiting his personal oasis, a secluded family cabin in rural Iceland that he has said he considered his happy place. For his newest album entitled Nowhere Sessions, he chose for the first time to actually record in that very same cabin accompanied by friends and surrounded by “vast landscapes and near-total silence”.
This cabin is my favourite place in the world. It’s been in my family for over half a century and I’ve been going there all my life. A few years ago I made an album named after the area called “Landbrot”, which when translated literally means land fracture – but it can also mean an oasis. Which I find very appropriate as the cabin stands on the edge of a lava field, on top of a grassy hill overlooking two lakes. And this place is like a mental oasis to me: a reset button.
The album offers a wonderfully curated collection of songs featuring new renditions of songs from Landbrot and other works as well some new music including a track featuring Hallgrímsson in a rare but beautiful vocal performance. In addition to the audio recordings, the sessions were filmed so listeners can enjoy the full experience. Tender, intimate, and exquisitely melodic, Nowhere Sessions is a delight from the first note to the last.
I’ve never recorded music there until now. The cabin and its surroundings are almost sacred to me, so it was important to me to play and record with people I know, love and feel comfortable around. To record my music live, with these human beings, in this place, was such a beautiful experience.
Nowhere Sessions was released digitally on May 8, 2026, by Deutsche Grammophon. The album features artwork has been painted by the Icelandic artist Elín Elísabet, a close friend of the composer.
More Info: NOWHERE SESSIONS Snorri Hallgrímsson | Deutsche Grammophon
